Black Sun
Enjoy!
Chapter 7: Demons
He needed to survive. But the real question is how?
His mother told him that this was going to happen. She whispered that he would be banished from Suna if he didn't let her out. Her plan was simple: he needed to kill the head of intelligence and then kill his father. Such a thought had often crossed his mind, but he wasn't stupid. What could he do? If he fought his father, he would be crushed until his mind broke. He wouldn't have minded being broken into an even worse weapon. That meant he'd have more time to kill his father. The worst fate of all was death. Dying would make everything he endured up to now meaningless.
So he thought about his mother's proposition: to wake up, go to school, avoid assassins hired by his father, and train under Baki. Gaara thought about executing the plan. But there were several problems. He always planned on killing his father, but he wanted to wait until he was older and much stronger. There was also the issue of his lack of allies to help him lay claim as Kazekage. Just because he had crushed forty-two people in Mother's sand didn't mean he was evil. His platform was fair. He would battle corruption within Suna and solidify the Kazkage's power over the Daimyo by becoming dictator of Wind Country. He would lower taxes and connect the country by railroad. He would finally give the country back to the people.
He would become the Kazekage this nation needed. Strong, not weak, like his wretched Father.
That all would have worked for some other boy not named Gaara Sabaku. Before he knew it, they were experimenting on him. He was awake, clawing and crying when it happened. He felt the scalpel blade cutting into him…
He'd suffer that blade daily if it meant he could speak to Mother again.
Father took away Mother!
Dad made his mother suffer! He made her be in pain! He used her, attacked her, sedated her, belittled her, and made her feel like a monster!
Gaara heard Naruto's laughter over the dune. He could listen to each movement of his mouth, his lungs inhaling and exhaling. It was so real that he shuddered and clutched his stomach.
He missed hearing his mother's voice. If she were here, she'd comfort and tell him he was unique, wonderful, and her boy.
While he missed hearing her, she frightened him. She never told him a lie, but she was bloodthirsty! She taught him how to crush his enemies and grow stronger with every assassin and hero sent to kill him. Mother's voice was soothing, even though she made him mad all day and night. Sleeping was a curse. He would lose control if he slept.
There were rewards when he followed his mother's advice. When he took someone's life, he slept like a cherub. Best of all were his dreams. They were always the same.
Dreams of nothing!
Dreaming of nothing was better than the curse of dreaming of something. Even though he could sleep, his dreams were nightmares. Most of the nightmares revolved around his uncle Yashamaru. He dreamt of his uncle exploding into millions of pieces. Sinew, bones, and shrapnel all stopped by his mother's sand. Living without her didn't seem fair because, without her, he would be dead.
Ironically, the woman who hated him the most, the very one he yearned for every day, kept him safe. From the moment he was born, his mother wanted him to suffer and die, yet she cursed him with her sand. Her sand was his survival and ultimate defense, but he couldn't even harm himself if he wanted to.
"Gaara, where are you?! We are about to train with Akhani elders!" Fuu screamed over the dune.
Gaara growled under the shadow of his cowl. His frown was hidden beneath the black cloth of his shemagh wrapped around his face as much as he wanted to kill his teammates. He had to tolerate them.
"I'm coming," he said as he walked up the dune.
"What! I can't hear you!" Fuu shouted back from over the Dune.
Gaara growled and yelled, "I'm coming!"
"Where is Gaara?" Umar shouted far ahead.
"COMING!"
Gaara made the summit and gasped.
He saw a small village surrounded by cacti and succulents, a green layer of natural shielding, and a small oasis surrounding the town. Date palms sway from heavy wind around the crystal blue waters. After months of doing nothing but chores, Asa and Umar finally brought them here. He had heard rumors from Father about this place but never thought it existed in a million years. The statue of the sphynx glimmered against the mountain.
"The belly of the desert," he muttered over the village.
This was where they'd learn the secret to controlling their Biju. Gaara walked towards the village hidden against the mountain, leaving trails in the sand.
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When all three jinchuriki reached the village around sunset, they were ushered inside its largest cave. The cave was so big that a fifty-foot-tall sphynx statue was carved into the mountainside. Fuu's feet clattered on dark granite steps. Her eyes focused on the statue. Made out of polished limestone, it stood like an ancient gargoyle, ready to attack any intruders that dared enter. Fuu had seen nothing like it. Its immense wings were the size of the Great Tree of Taki. Its head looked like a woman, but her body looked like a lion. Asa came out of the shadows from within the cave. The sound of his cane echoed loudly until he stopped before Suna's jinchuriki.
"This is the belly of the desert. People built it long ago when mankind sought refuge inside the caves. That was thousands of years ago. Back then, this land was lush and green, and the dunes were below the sea. Many Biju claimed these caves as their home. Their spirits linger under the depths of the mountain. Many warriors travel deep into the belly of the desert. Most warriors lose their minds, but that won't happen today, for you three are special," Asa explained with a wrinkled smile.
"Will we finally be able to communicate with our Biju's?" Gaara asked nonchalantly. His lips curled into a creepy smile that made Fuu uncomfortable. "Father told me that your people hold the key to us unlocking our true potential."
Asa nodded but then frowned. "Yes, you three will finally meet your demons." Fuu narrowed her eyes at the endless darkness behind the tribal leader. "Deep down in the belly of the desert lies a dark secret. Hidden in the darkness are ways for you three to grow stronger. I must stress that the power to communicate with your Biju is just the tip of the iceberg of the secrets of this cave. This is very dangerous!"
Coldness fell upon them. A loud, windy rumble reverberated out of the cave. Fuu wasn't sure how to feel about meeting the Nanabi. That demon brought her nothing but pain. The Nanabi was responsible for kidnapping women and children before it was given to Taki by the First Hokage. According to legend, the demon once used the bones of mankind for its hive. To think she would meet the very being that gave everyone in Taki nightmares. Then again, this was better than catching camels, doing laundry, and learning common-sense survival techniques. That had been their daily routine for the past two months, but now they would finally learn something useful.
"Asa, why are we learning this now? We've been doing nothing but chores and simple reading lessons for the past two months. Will this make us stronger?" Naruto whined with his arms crossed. "It's about time we learned how to become shinobi, ya know!"
"We've been teaching you strategies and ways to survive the desert. We have only eighteen months to prepare you three to become genin. All Akhani warriors pay the blood price. This is where blood and sand mix together. Suna has sought after our sacred temples for generations. This place is perilous, for many of our strongest warriors have lost their minds traversing the Belly of the Desert. Understand that your true training begins today, but we must see if you three pass the test. Now, are you three ready to begin?" Asa looked at the three jinchuriki with a bright smile on his face.
"This blood price doesn't sound safe," Fuu said worriedly. She felt the temperature fall and goosebumps rise from her skin. "I turn twelve in seven days! That's seven more days that I intend to live!"
Naruto snickered in contrast to Gaara's low growl. Asa tapped his cane and shook his head. His green eyes looked sunken and had several red veins visible.
"I'm warning you three of the dangers of this place. I'll have three armed guards watching you as you enter separate chambers. They are armed with seals that will disable your chakra flow if you get possessed by your Biju. If anyone loses control, this exercise will be off the table for one year! Do I make myself clear?!" Asa roared, his eyes burning into Fuu's. "This exercise is only for talking with your Biju. The purpose is to have you three better acclimate and gain their trust, but you should never let them out or allow them to possess you. Now, let us begin!"
Fuu knew they were somewhere special when they entered the cave.
The cave turned into a dark labyrinth. Faint sunlight came from cracks in the rocks, illuminating tiny parts of each tunnel. She saw Naruto's right hand wrapped around the handle of his sword. Sand whipped slowly around Gaara, giving the boy the most space among all the jinchuriki as they were guided deeper into the cave. The loud whistle of the wind and the coldness of the dark grew worse. Fuu could barely see her feet among the bumps and cracks on the ground.
Without thinking, she nudged closer to Naruto and grabbed his left hand, nearly causing the boy to trip over his feet. His mouth opened in surprise, but a guard pushed him forward. Her eyes weren't adjusting to the darkness as well as she wanted. There had to be at least fifteen heavily armed Akhani warriors following them.
Even though she had spent several months with the tribe, these people were strange and mysterious. She didn't trust Suna or the Kazekage. This wasn't her home! But if she left, she'd be leaving Naruto. Her best friend was too pure hearted and nice to be left alone here in the desert. She shook her head and squeezed his hand harder at the thought. No! That won't ever happen!
Four guards separated her from Naruto. He cried out, "Hey, what the hell! What's going on?"
"Naruto!" Fuu screamed while thrashing two guards off her shoulders. "Don't you dare touch me!"
Naruto was pushed to a different cave, his bright yellow hair disappearing in the darkness. Asa appeared in front of her and shook his. She backed off until her back touched the cold, wet, and hard karst walls.
"Fuu, what is wrong?" Asa asked softly.
"Why did you separate him from me? I don't want anything to happen to him.." Fuu uttered worriedly. She felt uneasy inside the dark cave, and she didn't feel safe without Naruto. "I thought all we were doing was talking with our Biju?"
"That is what we plan on doing, sweet Fuu," Asa replied with a wrinkled smile. "There is nothing to fear. We have to separate you from your friend for safety reasons. Follow the guards and have faith in yourself, for you'll meet your prisoner."
Low fog covered the floor of a massive circular cavern. The green and blue glowing mushrooms on the walls revealed disgusting stone art of people being eaten by massive demonic creatures. There was also art of giant strawberries, but that only made her hungry. Fuu wondered what kind of cave chamber Naruto and Gaara were forced into.
She sat alone on a musky-smelling meditation mat in the center of the room. Water dripped from stalagmites to calcite floors. She heard the wind whistling through cracks and tunnels. The loudest sound came from her breathing.
"Clear your mind of all thoughts," Yoruda said, covering her face in glimmering bronze chains from her battuta. "Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Breathing is the first sign of life. We channel our chakra throughout the body by breathing in and breathing out. The human body has 361 tenketsu points. Tenketsu points are the same as the pressure points between muscles and arteries. They generate chakra, which is how we perform jutsu."
"How does that relate to me seeing the Nanabi?"
"Tenketsu points all exit the body from the nose and mouth. By focusing on your breath, you will find the Nanabi," Yoruda chirped happily as Fuu followed her advice. "Focus on the breath that leads to the Nanabi. Follow the trail of where the demon's chakra floods your body."
She closed her eyes, cleared her mind, and focused on everything else in the cave. She focused on the ocean's worth of chakra leaking from her liver. She felt herself being drawn to her seal, where the Nanabi hailed.
Her sunburst eyes opened to reveal a foggy cave with wooden bars reaching from the floor to the ceiling. In the fog were six large orange chitin wings and one massive green tail. She approached the cell bars and observed Nanabi's blue chitin armor. The demon stood fifty meters tall with a long blue horn coming from its head like a rhinoceros beetle. Light fluorescent green chakra leaked off the beast, creating a sinister aura around the beast.
Fuu awkwardly rubbed her right foot on the ground and giggled. The beast moved close to the wooden bars and looked at her with green glowing eyes.
"Why aren't you scared?"
Fuu giggled louder, causing the seven-tailed beetle to groan in frustration. It bellowed and swung a right chitin claw at its chest. Then the Nanabi roared, "I'm the great, beautiful, and amazing beetle named Chomei. Mortals have trembled in terror at my presence for generations. So why is a little girl laughing at me?"
"Ahh, you are cuter than I could have ever imagined," Fuu complimented the defeated beast. Her sunburst eyes widened in thrilling amazement as she said, "Seven is a lucky number. I'm glad to have finally met you, Mr. Chomei."
"Chomei is fine," Chomei replied with a rumbling sigh. "Now is as good a time as any to discuss the future and your survival."
"My survival?" she repeated.
"I remember this place. This is where it all began so many millennia ago that it's hard to remember, but you and your fox friend are in safe hands. These people you are with are the distant descendants of the ones who protected me. I do remember this cave, but you must be very careful," Chomei paused, turned its horn sideways, and showed the side of its head, its left mandible just feet away from her hands. It opened its mouth and eerily said, "You like that fox boy, don't you?"
"You mean Naruto? He's my best friend. Is there something wrong with him?" she inquired, her right eyebrow raised high. "I mean, he understands what I've gone through. He's kinda cute whenever he pulls off a prank, but why should I be careful?"
"I don't hate the Kyuubi, but Mr. Nine Tails always acts so high and mighty. He's far more powerful than you or Gaara combined. But what makes the Kyuubi dangerous is his mind. He always spent time learning, practicing, and preparing to execute his grand plan."
"Are you saying that the Kyuubi was planning on destroying Konoha?" she asked, stepping closer to the sturdy wooden bars separating her from the Chomei. Was her friend cursed with the worst Biju of them all? "Chomei, is my friend at risk of becoming another Gaara?"
"That Duffus? No! That brat isn't unhinged yet, but I don't trust the Kyuubi or the Ichibi. The Ichibi is bloodthirsty, while the Kyuubi is all high and mighty, and Suna expects us to be friends."
"You don't have to be friends with the other Biju. There's nothing wrong with tolerating the others, but nothing will get in the way of me being friends with Naruto and… maybe even Gaara too. I won't give up until we're treated like every other human being," she huffed and looked up at her prisoner.
"Interesting… you have a heart. Your big heart won't save you when you are told to kill and slaughter. Us Biju aren't so heartless compared to the true evil of this world. All three of us are weaker than what's below your feet."
"What is below my feet?"
"Madness and enlightenment. Pain and fortune. There are all kinds of things within the belly of the desert. Most of it shouldn't be sought after. Fuu, I like you. You have a good head on your shoulders for a human. Can the same be said about your fox friend or that Ichibi brat? The Akhani tribe are the protectors of the shrine. All I remember was that warm fire. We were all happy, hopeful, and proud back then…" Fuu's face sank as Chomei's sadness enraptured her. The beast shook its horned head and said, "There's no point remembering the past."
"Well, I guess I passed the exercise," Fuu muttered.
Chomei snapped its head and sighed, "If you ever need my power, I'll lend it to you. In the meantime, trust in the tribe to take care of you. They care more about your safety than Suna or Taki."
"Thanks, Chomei! You are the best beetle in the world! I'm so happy to have you," Fuu happily said.
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Naruto had his eyes closed and sat with his legs crossed. He wasn't an idiot. He knew how to clear his mind and hum with the Akhani guru.
He breathed in and out repeatedly, trying desperately to cling to Kyuubi's chakra. His bones became cold, and his breath frigid. Water dripped from rusty pipes coming out of the walls. Naruto clutched his chest and turned around. His sapphire eyes gazed at the rusty sewer.
Red chakra glowed down the hallway. His feet splashed through foot-deep waters, making his way into a massive cistern. It was five times larger than the one he was in before. Red chakra flowed from the bronze bars of the gate, where two giant crimson eyes opened before Naruto. Two menacing black slit pupils reflected his terrified form. The Kyuubi, the nine-tailed demon fox that ravaged Konoha almost eleven years ago, growled.
"We finally meet! I wondered how long it would take for the Akhani to teach you something useful. You might think they're doing this out of the kindness of their hearts. The truth is, you pathetic dunce-cap-wearing brat, you are nothing more than a tool. A weapon created to fight for whoever owns you," Kyuubi said with a chuckling howl. Its large canid teeth were the size of Naruto's body, and its breath smelled horrid, like the demon fox ate spoiled ramen. "Pathetic! My warden is scared."
"I'm not scared of you," Naruto protested angrily, his knuckles clenching.
"You should be! Where you are now is where it all began. This mountain is where I was born. Us Biju came into existence roughly ten thousand years ago. We were the light at the end of the tunnel because the darkness at the other end will tear you down. Bravery is a skill idiots are blessed with, and you, Naruto Uzumaki, are nothing more than an idiot. Your jinchuriki friends must love having you around. You are reckless, prideful, and a happy little wanderer like your father. No wonder he's dead. Your father left you with nothing. He set you up for a life of pain and suffering. All because he had faith in Konoha," Kyuubi paused and chuckled loudly.
Naruto's eyes turned bright crimson like his prisoner's. His cheeks burned, and he wanted to beat that giant fox with his fists. Could demons bleed? He wanted to find out. If not, he hoped they could cry!
"How dare you talk about my dad like that? My father tried doing the right thing, but you killed him!" he hissed at the demon fox. "You are a murderer!"
"Murderer? I didn't kill him, but I wish I did," snarled the demon. The Kyuubi exhaled wet, foggy breath from its nostrils. "He imprisoned me inside this hellhole. Do you know what it's like to be stuck in your stomach with no way out? I'd rather be free to suffer and starve than linger here another second longer." The beast's crimson-slitted eyes quivered in rage, but maybe it was the red glow of the room. He saw the pain in Kyuubi's eyes. "True freedom is feeling the wind against my snout or the sun's warmth on my fur. Freedom isn't living behind these bars. You don't even know what it means to be free!"
Maybe he was weak, but he felt awful for the Kyuubi. His hatred for the beast was nearly absolute, but he couldn't belittle the demonic fox. It was like knocking down an old man, and the thought didn't sit too well with him.
"All you want is freedom. Right?" he piped in.
"Shinobi have no freedom. That's what you want to be, right?" Naruto nodded, which made the Kyuubi growl. "Shinobi know only death. Our only bond is death."
"What do you mean?"
"If you die, I die too. Who do you think has kept you alive all these years?" Kyuubi grinned a wide foxy grin. Its black lips were wet with saliva as it laughed. "Whether you like it or not. You are stuck with me until the day you die."
Naruto smiled a wide foxy grin back. "If I need help, would you lend me some of your power?"
Before the nine-tailed fox could answer, all nine of its orange tails swished and fluttered excitedly behind the massive beast. The Kyuubi raised its head, and its bright orange ears shot straight up. Naruto needed clarification. He slowly backed away from the cell and looked around.
"Is something wrong?" he asked. Crimson chakra leaked out of the Kyuubi's prison, swirling around Naruto's body. He fell to his knees before the Kyuubi. He could feel the icy cold and magma-hot energy flooding his body. It felt empowering and horrid at the same time, causing him to cough and scream. "Why? What's going on? Why are you doing this to me?"
The Kyuubi glared at him for several seconds. The Kyuubi's crimson chakra covered Naruto in a shrouded cloak of pure chakra. He felt his connection inside the Kyuubi's prison slipping away.
"The Ichibi is challenging you. He is coming your way to kill us. Don't disappoint me!"
Naruto tried clutching his way back onto his feet as the energy consumed him. Then he saw darkness.
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Spine-tingling screams echoed out of the main tunnel. Then came silence. Naruto opened his eyes to the guards, drawing their swords and mumbling prayers. Rocks chipped, and dust plumed in the caves leading into their cavern. The guards screamed, but this time, they were facing him.
He felt energized. His canines sharpened, his whisker marks grew darker, and he could now taste the ozone leaking from the fiery red chakra surrounding him. He was ready to kick ass and chew bubblegum, yet there was pain. He felt awful inside and out. Every single nerve screamed in pain as he felt the Kyuubi's icy cold and magma-hot chakra coursing through him. The worst two feelings a human could suffer burned all his senses. All of his tenketsu points leaked the foul, sinister chakra, causing the Akhani warriors in the cavern to shiver. Their swords glimmered silver and black.
The cavern's foggy air turned scarlet.
The cavern becomes colder, flickers of red beams surround him, and silence.
A bright red beam shot off the back of his body, and he crouched on all fours like a wolf.
The pure blood-red chakra beam took the shape of Kyuubi's head, and Naruto roared. All of the guards took out seals from their robes. He could see that each seal had 'Demonic Suppression' written in blood.
Naruto could hear Gaara crushing two men deep in the tunnels. Their screams kept echoing in his ears... gurgles, flesh being torn, their last dying words.
"Naruto Uzumaki! You are to stand down right now!" A black-cloaked guard shouted. The guard swung a scimitar in their right hand and held a seal in their left. "Easy there! Easy!"
Naruto's bright eyes glowed a bright, murderous crimson as his black-slit pupils scanned around the cistern. His senses were heightened, and he could feel everyone's chakra flowing. The smell of their breath and the fear in their eyes made him growl. All the guards took one step back.
A rumbling explosion shook the walls of the cavern. The scarlet fog grew heavier as all eyes refocused on the cave's entrance.
"What the hell is going on? Fui, keep your eyes on Naruto! I'm preparing the sealing jutsu!" screamed the black-cloaked guard. Dark obsidian eyes turned to the partially transformed jinchuriki. He formed hand signs as the cave entrance rumbled. "Fuinjutsu: Shijima no Kus (Sealing Technique: Chains of Tran)…Ahhhh!"
The black cowled guard screamed, and blood dribbled from his lips and nose. An eruption of blood cascaded out of his chest. Naruto saw a massive sandy spiked claw from the guard's open stomach. Dark blue tattoos covered the sandy claw, with gunky blood dripping below each spikey finger. The coldness of the air was frigid. The black cowled guard fell to the red, foggy floor, lifeless before him. In his wake, there was a sand-covered boy with murderous yellow-black eyes staring at him.
Both jinchuriki growled. He could feel Gaara's hate for him. He could smell the murderous intent from the damned Tanuki boy. They stared at each other for several seconds, staring into each other's demonic eyes. Crimson-slitted eyes clashed against sickly golden diamond-pupil eyes. All the guards were petrified by what they witnessed.
"GAARA!" Naruto growled.
"Mother told me that you plan on becoming Kazekage!" Gaara growled. Sickly hardened sand covered the red-headed boy's body, shaped like a tattooed tanuki. "I can't let that happen! Naruto Uzumaki, you will die!"
"Dream on sandman," he said venomously.
Gaara launched across the cistern, his spikey sand tail flailing behind him. Naruto rushed forward on all fours. He dodged spikes made of sand that appeared in his pathway toward the Suna jinchuriki. His limbs were lighter than a feather, and he swerved past Gaara's left sand claw. He unsheathed his mother's sword from his back before jumping over a stream of sand. He landed and bolted low in the fog past walls of sand that appeared randomly in his path.
Gaara pulled his left claw back and growled. Silver and green light glimmered off Naruto's sword in the darkness of the cistern. Gaara gazed at the edge of the cistern where the guards were preparing a new jutsu in the darkness. He pulled his sandy tattoo-covered arms back and swung them forward at every angle of the cave. His horrid voice echoed, "Sand Shuriken!"
Hundreds of sand shuriken fired from Gaara's arms and tail. Naruto bolted low to the ground on all fours, dodging dozens of the whizzing shuriken, which crashed through stalagmites, small boulders, and bedrock. He swung his mother's sword at any incoming sand shuriken. Sparks flew off the glimmering forged malachite. The sound of sand being sliced by Moarri's cold blade rang through Naruto's ears as he appeared in front of Gaara.
Gaara retracted his massive sand claws back into place only to have a closed red-chakra fist sucker punch him across the ground. The red glow from Naruto's chakra cloak grew brighter as his rage grew!
Naruto kneed Gaara in his sand-covered belly before kicking him in the face back to where he started. Gaara's agonized screams echoed in his head. But he continued to punch Gaara's head with all the strength he could muster. His knuckles burned with Gaara's blood! The Kyuubi's sinister chakra grew hotter and colder, and Naruto screamed.
"Give up, it's over!" Naruto growled above Gaara. The hardened sand that covered Gaara's face previously had become busted in his right cheek and forehead. Streams of sand were trickling down to the ground between his feet as if the sand was Gaara's blood. "Are you even listening to me, you lunatic? You have the gall to kill a member of the tribe who has taken us in. The very tribe that is training us to control our demons! Why? How could you be so heartless?"
Naruto's enraged crimson eyes peered deeply into his fellow jinchuriki's equally enraged eyes. He saw no other emotion besides anger and anguish. He sensed one sandy-clawed hand propelling to his right shoulder, but he sliced off the sandy appendage with one swipe of his sword.
Gaara screamed and brought his right arm in front of his body. Ice covered his wound like Naruto had cauterized it with ice. He held his left sandy claw over the icy stub, which caused the entire right arm to fall onto the ground, exposing his bare skin.
Naruto looked at his mother's sword, releasing lots of cold air from the blade. He heard Gaara laughing hard. Spit came out of the crazed redheaded boy's mouth, his golden eyes narrowing at him.
"You are the first one to ever lay their hands on me. Not even my father would dare touch me without his gold. You got through my defense," Gaara huffed, blood dribbling underneath his lips. "That is unacceptable! Get through this!"
A giant dark blue-clawed hand erupted through the bedrock below Naruto's feet. He was propelled into the walls behind him by what felt like a herd of elephants. Blood escaped his lips as the sand claw trapped him in place on the karst wall. His mother's sword clattered onto the ground as the guards around them started screaming. He felt the Kyuubi's chakra growing colder in his gut. Large streams of blood flowed down his left eyebrow over his demonic crimson eyes.
"Naruto, you called me heartless. My whole life has been one endless battle. Unlike you, I am a true shinobi. I fight for myself because I can only trust myself. Suna, the Akhani, hell, everyone who knows us wants us for only one purpose. Our power! We are weapons and monsters!" Gaara roared twenty meters away. "Now it's your time to die! Sand Shuriken!"
The hardened sand enveloping the lower three-thirds of his body shook. His bones and muscles ached. He screamed in agony as hundreds of fast-moving sand shuriken crashed into him. He saw many of the shuriken slashing his cheeks and shoulders, and one he barely dodged by slamming his head down. A lone sand shuriken slashed the top of his skull, which got deflected by his bone.
"I can't die here!" he thought, feeling dizzy from the attack. More blood dripped down his skull, and time slowed down. Gaara screamed, "Sand Spear!"
"Fuu-chan!" He thought about his friend, whom he had been with every step of the way since he left Konoha. Her bright orange eyes, always burning with happiness, made him shake. The rough sand squeezed him harder, making him think about his Uncle. "Uncle Kaz, I haven't learned about father… No! I can't wallow and cry! I can't give up! I feel something strange."
A reddish-black mist hovered over the hardened sand arm where Naruto was trapped—the blackened mist condensed. Red cackling streams of electricity covered Naruto as red clouds leaked over the area. High winds brushed the guards' cowls aside, revealing horror. Their bodies shook, and they all stopped forming hand signs.
Purple thunderbolts impeded the sand spear, which whizzed toward Naruto. It turned to fragile, clear glass that shattered on the ground upon impact.
An explosion of sand flew from the darkening red storm cloud forming on the wall. Sand transformed into glass from each strike from scarlet and violet webbing streams of electricity. Water and ice swirled in the dense clouds. Gaara growled.
"Sand Bullet Barrage!" Gaara roared.
Hundreds of golden round missiles of sand fired each minute towards Naruto. Naruto released the energy and screamed, "Storm Release: Scarlet Symphony!"
The sound of thunder rumbled inside the belly of the desert. The cavern shook, and everyone stood petrified as Naruto released the storm cloud from his body. Red streams of electricity vaporized rock into silt, ice cracked and stopped sand bullets, but all projectiles got sucked up by the wind. The storm spread out into a large X. The wind, ice, water, and electricity produced a symphony of doom as it fired through every volley of sand bullets.
A white flash spread across the cavern from the explosion. His vision became blurry with round bubbles glimmering wherever he looked, and his ears rang. Gaara screamed in pain, and the sand surrounding his body was flowing off it. Grey smoke rose high from the impact zone. Naruto's crimson eyes shined directly at Gaara's eyes through the scarlet fog. Naruto flashed across the cave on all fours when four sand spikes crashed where he was before.
Naruto appeared before Gaara, who had blood dripping from his mouth. Holding out his hands, he said, "Sand Clusters!"
Ten powerful jets of sand shot at Naruto. Still shrouded in the Kyuubi's chakra cloak, he jumped and weaved around five of the fast-moving jets of sand. Only to be smacked by three propelled jets of sand. The streams of sand twisted his body in the fast-moving air. His head smacked against hardened bedrock as the remaining two jet streams hit him. Pulling himself up, he looked at his clothes and saw that Gaara's attack almost entirely ruined them, yet his wounds were healing instantly.
Naruto growled and crossed his hands, melding the Kyuubi's chakra with his tenketsu points. He then screamed, "Multi shadow clone jutsu!"
A white plume of smoke engulfed the entire cavern. Roughly two hundred duplicates of Naruto appeared from the dissipating white cloud. The real Naruto walked over to his mother's sword, lying fifteen meters away on the ground. He flicked his right wrist high in the air, causing his army of shadow clones to charge Gaara.
The guards began reforming their hand signs. Many finished and proclaimed loudly, "Fuin Kekkai: Hikari no Kabe (Sealing Barrier: Walls of Light)!"
Green translucent walls of humming chakra surrounded the battlefield. A few Naruto clones unlucky enough to be around or outside the walls were instantly dispelled. Grains of sand swirled around Gaara into a golden vortex. The sand around his body hardened again as a dozen Naruto clones jumped at Gaara. Walls of sand slammed against dozens of clones, trying to punch and kick at him. Loud pops and explosions of white smoke dissipated from his ultimate defense.
The vortex of sand stopped and quickly manifested into a long spider web of deadly hardened sand that punctured almost every clone inside the green barrier—wobbling on his two feet, Gaara formed several hand signs and yelled, "Super Sand Cluster!"
Every particle of sand quickly reformed in front of Gaara, who released the energy, propelling one ginormous sand jet that promptly headed Naruto's way. His red chakra cloak was growing colder. Hate and rage consumed his heart. Holding his mother's sword up towards the quick-moving jet of sand, in a final moment of grit, Naruto released the coldness and shouted, "Hyoton: Hokkyoku no Kitsune (Ice release: Arctic Fox)!"
Four pure white foxes made entirely of ice crystals charge forward toward the impending jet of Sand. Both jutsu clashed a second later, leaving a frozen trek of destruction that led to Gaara. Naruto fell to his knees, drained. The red chakra cloak surrounding him was gone, but Gaara was no better. A groaning boy replaced his tanuki sand form. The guards were shouting in agreement outside of the barrier. He heard calls for them to calm down and surrender. But all he cared about was finishing what Gaara started.
Naruto dragged his broken right foot across the foggy ground to his fellow jinchuriki. His eyes were still crimson, and that rage hadn't gone away. He lowered his mother's sword, the tip of the blade pointing directly at Gaara's heart. His crimson eyes turned back into sapphire, and both boys were locked in a quiet, awkward gaze.
"Kill me!" Gaara commanded angrily. "Come on! Do it! Do you want to become Kazekage? All you have to do is kill me! You'd be doing my father a service!"
He saw so much pain, sadness, and hate radiating from Gaara's teal eyes. It reminded him so much of what he looked like months before. Dirty and homeless, he'd sometimes look at himself from the reflection of still water and cry. He saw nothing but hate and anger staring right back at him through teary eyes. Were they both the same? Sheathing Moarri back into the leather strap still tied on his back, Naruto balanced himself on unsteady feet.
"We are supposed to be teammates," Naruto said.
Gaara's eyes widened in surprise. He then raised his right hand weakly towards Naruto.
The guards inside the cavern yelled, "Activate!"
Both boys fell to the ground. Naruto was pushed face down onto the hardened stone. An angry guard kicked him in the stomach while he felt his arms being restrained. His sweaty hands were placed in steel cuffs, tightened to where he couldn't move them. He was kicked in the stomach twice more until he rolled over onto his back. Blood rolled from his lips. His eyes widened in horror at the furious eyes of the Akhani warriors watching him writh on the floor, handcuffed and humiliated. A woman placed several sealing tags on his forehead. Gaara received the same treatment from what he could see from the corner of his frightened sapphire eyes.
A purple cowled woman finished making hand signs and melodiously sang, "Sweet Lullaby!"
His vision was replaced by white. He heard birds singing all around him, but there were no birds. Then, all he saw was darkness.
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Fuu hadn't been more disappointed for her fellow jinchuriki until now, as much as she loathed Naruto for goofing off when they were supposed to complete their daily chores. She would have taken him slacking off every day of her life instead of watching him suffer inside their tent. Gaara had been removed and placed under supervised detention with Asa. Naruto was severely hurt from the fight from three days ago, and he hadn't left his sleeping bag except to use the restroom, even though her blonde-whisker-marked friend healed faster than her. He was still drained from using so much chakra during the fight. However, it didn't help that the sealing tags made him heal slower, according to Asa.
Umar and Asa didn't directly punish Naruto, but he still had numerous Fuinjutsu tags placed all over his body to prevent the Kyuubi from possessing him. Nightfall had overtaken Kidal, and cold sandy winds peppered their tent. Fuu sat on a mat overlooking her friend. She hugged her knees, which were bent towards her chin. As happy as she was that Naruto was alive, she was worried for him. How could she not?
Her best friend wasn't only possessed by the Kyuubi, but he unlocked a Kekkei Genkai. Something called the Ranton. She brushed his whisker marks, feeling his warmth flood her cold palm. Her vibrant sunburst eyes quivered. She missed feeling his warm hugs. She missed hearing his laughter, which she could always count on making her smile. She missed seeing his warm, vibrant sapphire eyes, which always made her feel safe. Most of all, she missed him being around to listen to her concerns. Nothing made her more content than hearing his confident, hopeful rants that things might get better.
Fuu considered herself an optimist before Taki sold her to Suna. Nowadays, she has placed her faith in Naruto. He was the only one on their team who had hope—the sort of hope she wished for because no matter how much she tried, there was no hope for the cursed children of the Elemental Nations.
She felt a tanned left hand wrapping around her cold right wrist. Naruto's eyelids weakly fluttered open and closed. Fuu sat closer to his sleeping bag.
"Fuu-chan, you are cold," Naruto mustered with a wide foxy grin.
He placed her full palm on his cheek and laid his hand over hers. Luckily for her, it was dark enough inside the tent that he didn't see her blush. Unfortunately, he sat up and pulled her closer. His chest had been wrapped in white gauze around a gnarly gash across his chest. It wasn't so bad that the Akhani sent him back to Suna, but it was bad enough to leave him bedridden inside his sleeping bag for three days. Thankfully, Naruto was wearing a pair of dark blue trousers, although they appeared roomier. Fuu quickly wrapped her left arm around his neck and hugged him.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She squeezed her idiotic friend harder. "What the hell were you thinking fighting Gaara by yourself? I want nothing more than to strangle you! Why would you throw your life away? You promised me you wouldn't leave me and…"
Tears rolled down her face, and her sunburst eyes quivered as she rubbed her left cheek against his. "You nearly left me here alone. I've been alone my whole life..."
Naruto looked stunned and at a loss for words. Her smooth cheek became filmy with warm tears. She was angry, sad, relieved, happy, and disappointed in him all at once.
"Your dream is to become Kazekage. All I've ever wanted was for people to love me. You know that feeling. You are living but not existing. They'd rather throw you a brick than a life jacket. That's how I lived in Taki. The one man I trusted sold me to Suna. I was born in Taki and spent my whole life there, but they sold me like a cut ham at the market. I want you to become Kazekage and for us to be respected, but until that day, you are the only one I trust," she admitted, pulling away. She held him just far enough to see that he was listening. "Everyone hates me except for you."
"Fuu… I'm sorry."
Naruto brushed her hair and looked at her pleadingly. There was a horrified look of desperation she had only seen from the hardest of victims within Taki. Unlike bigger shinobi villages, Taki had its fair share of war veterans and first responders who had fought in every shinobi war. Naruto had seen death firsthand, faced a demonic Gaara, and was lucky enough to still be alive.
"I'm not mad…" she softly said. "When I saw you handcuffed and covered head to toe in blood. My heart stopped. The last thing I ever want to lose is you."
His spiky hair brushed against the top of her collarbone. He pulled away and looked at her.
"I promised you that I will always protect you, no matter what. I didn't want to fight him. The Kyuubi sensed Gaara coming while I talked to it in the seal. All I saw was darkness, and then I awoke to see a man in a cowl standing across from me. I felt sick. That power, its chakra, I don't know why, but all I wanted was for it to stop, but then Gaara tore that man apart. I saw him rip apart that man's body. Guts, blood, and awful everywhere." he stopped talking and remained silent. The tent flaps creaked, sand peppered against the fabric from high-speed winds, and howling wolves at the moon. "He wanted to kill me. He wanted to rip me apart like that man, but right before he killed me. I thought about you."
"You did?" she was at a loss of words. "I heard from Asa you were about to kill Gaara. Is that true?"
"I wanted to, but…" he stopped talking. He grabbed Fuu's hands and held them in his warm palms. "I couldn't bring myself to do it. I saw his eyes. There was so much pain and sadness in them. For all the evil he's done, I just couldn't do it. I kept looking at his eyes, but all I saw was myself. Does that mean I'm weak?"
"No, not at all. Naruto-kun, that means you are strong. I don't know what I would have done if I was in your shoes," she admitted. She slipped her hands out of his grasp and hugged the stuffing out of him. "There, there, Naruto-kun. I don't want us to kill each other, but I'm scared."
"Why are you scared?"
"Because of everything that has happened. Umar plans on getting us back into training on my birthday. When that happens, it might be too late. Naruto-kun, I'm scared of that cave, and I'm scared that we'll turn into Gaara," Fuu shuddered.
She shivered in her friend's warm embrace. Naruto only hugged her harder and pressed his whisker-marked cheek against hers. As smooth and warm as it was, it did little to calm her fears.
"Are you listening to me?" she asked worriedly. "Naruto-Kun, please, we need to get out of here!"
His sapphire eyes widened and quivered in the darkness. He nodded but said warily, "Where should we go?"
"We can figure that out on the way. If we leave tonight, we have an eight-hour head start before sunrise. We could steal four camels. We could load up all the water and grain in the storage tent. Naruto-Kun, we could ride out of the desert together! We can finally be free!"
There was a long moment of silence inside the tent. Her tongue twisted in her mouth, and her throat grew heavy as the silence became more substantial. Naruto's eyes didn't waver. No, they stared back at her keenly like he had found a lost treasure. He brushed strands of her mint-green hair to the side and smiled a foxy grin.
"Fuu-chan, I'd follow you to the depths of Hell. I would, but I can't leave—maybe it's me, but being far away from Konoha is nice. The people haven't treated us that badly. Hell, Gaara killed three Akhani warriors, and they still treat us like members of their tribe. Our training has just begun. We both want to become shinobi, and Gaara will be our teammate. I might not be as smart as you, but I know one thing. We can save him!"
"Save him? He tried to kill you! Forget him! You survived this time. How about tomorrow?" she questioned angrily. Naruto looked down in shame. "He's spoken plenty of times about crushing us with his sand. I don't trust him, and you don't either! Why the hell won't you run away with me!"
Naruto shook his head.
He looked conflicted like he was holding back the world's worst secret. She had only known him for four months. His past in Konoha was hazy enough that she pieced together something really bad happened. He always tensed up awkwardly and had a thousand-yard stare when discussing how his village treated him. He looked back up and looked lost.
"Why can't you tell me? Don't you trust me?" she pleaded. "As scared as I am to stay in this god-forsaken nation, I can't do this alone. I need you."
"Fuu-chan, I'm Minato Namikaze's son. I'm the son of the legendary Yellow Flash, the Kyuubi slayer, and the Fourth Hokage."
Fuu's sunburst eyes widened in shock. Her lips quivered, and she faintly said, "Y-you are?"
Naruto nodded.
"Dan-sensei is my uncle. That's why I can't leave. Do you think I haven't been scared? After sleeping just one night with Gaara, I haven't slept another without my mother's sword. Uncle Kaz is the head of Suna Intelligence. He's been watching us the whole time, and I doubt we could make it out of this camp without him knowing."
"How do you know?"
"Because I got a letter from him when I woke up yesterday."
"What was the message?"
"He sent me a get-well card," Naruto sweatdropped, much to his chagrin.
She laughed and hugged him. It was getting late, but Naruto attached her sleeping bag to his so they could sleep together. He would keep her warm from the frigid desert winds. Her heart was beating faster while she lay beside him on her side, her eyes staring into his. He held her hands, his eyes fluttering open and closed.
Being with somebody who didn't run away in fear was lovely. Now it all made sense, his excitement for the desert and determination to stay in Wind Country. After telling her the truth, she couldn't leave her best friend here alone. Having made her decision, Fuu smiled and rubbed the back of his warm, tanned hands with her thumbs.
"Thanks, whiskers," she beamed across from him.
"For what?"
"Thank you for telling me the truth and for being you. Let's get some rest," she gushed before closing her eyes.
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He had been worried all day long. Today was August 8th, Fuu-chan's birthday, and he had spent the last three days preparing for it. He had never experienced much besides a trip to Ichiraku's Ramen with Jiji during his birthdays. That was the highlight. Everything else always sucked! He'd spend the rest of the day sleeping on his rooftop, hoping the thieves and drunk villagers brazen enough to vandalize his apartment would go away.
Naruto shook his head under the hot sun sinking below the horizon. He had been training with Fuu all day long under Umar's tutelage. They had practiced throwing kunai, shuriken, and kenjutsu training with scimitars. However, much of their training now focused on learning the Sand Walking chakra control exercise. This was where he was, focusing on the chakra leaking from his feet on the dunes outside Kidal.
The key to the exercise was controlling the chakra output from your feet into the sand. You could propel yourself forward in the sand without moving if performed correctly.
Naruto made the Tiger seal and focused on his breathing. Chakra flowed from the soles of his Hanzo shinobi sandals into the grainy golden sand where he stood. The sand started shifting forward along the dune.
"Hahaha! Fuu-chan, Umar, look at me! I'm doing it! I'm the King of the world," he hollered at the top of the dune.
Fuu unnotched an arrow from her bow and looked at him. Umar placed his hands over his eyes and smiled. He turned and laughed at his friend and teacher, only to slip and scream. He laughed harder and felt accomplished as he slid across the sand, but he lost focus. The sand exploded underneath him, launching him into the air.
"SHIT!" he hollered midair while crashing onto the dune.
He tumbled over hard, grainy sands, rolling downhill. He saw the sun, shifting sands rolling off his white cotton shemagh, and darkness when he stopped facedown. Pulling his head out of the sand, he saw Gaara standing with an emotionless face above him. He scrambled backward, kicking his heels deep into the sand. His hands grabbed the handle for his mother's sword, which had been strapped to his white thoab. Umar and Fuu looked just as horrified as him.
"Looks like you are wearing new clothes, Uzumaki," Gaara said with a smile.
Streams of shifting sands propelled Naruto back onto his feet. He smiled nervously at his fellow redheaded jinchuriki. Brushing off sand and dust, Naruto noticed that Gaara didn't look as murderous as he had seven days prior.
"Thanks for the new wardrobe." Gaara raised his right eyebrow in confusion. "My clothes were ruined during the fight. Umar lent me a few pairs of his old clothes."
"Looks nice. You are a true citizen of Wind Country now," Gaara complimented.
"Oh, uh, thanks," Naruto stammered, slightly confused.
He was wearing his green baggy trousers from before. Uncle Kaz sent him four more pairs of those pants, but he had worn a white thoab, which made traversing the desert more comfortable. He tied his shemagh with a golden agal rope. His grandfather's red bandana remained tied in a triangle below his neck. He now looked like another member of the Akhani tribe, save for his distinctive whisker marks and sunkissed hair.
"I need to apologize for trying to kill you. I spoke to Shukaku for the first time… I thought he was my Mother. He said that you want to become Kazekage, and one day, you will destroy the Land of Wind. I know there's no excuse for what I did. I've thought long and hard about what I would say all week. All I can say is that I'm sorry for trying to kill you. I hope one day you can forgive me."
Naruto looked at Gaara, shocked. He saw Fuu and Umar walking to them. Fuu's bow was slung over her back. Her hands rested on her hips, and her orange eyes focused on him. Holding out his hand, Naruto closed his eyes and smiled.
"Apology accepted," Naruto beamed happily.
"Wait, what? I tried to kill you!" Gaara protested.
"That wasn't the first time someone tried killing me," he said with a faltering face. "It won't be the last." He beamed up with a wide, foxy grin. He shook Gaara's right hand and narrowed his eyes. "After all, that fight was just practice."
"Practice?" Gaara questioned. His lips curled upwards into a smile that didn't look natural. "What do you mean?"
"Together, we are going to make this nation whole again. Whoever becomes Kazekage first owes the other an all-you-can-eat ramen special!" Naruto shouted excitedly.
Gaara smiled and laughed. Fuu quickly joined in, and the three jinchuriki played under the sun, throwing jokes and banter. Naruto and Gaara spent the rest of the day practicing their swordsmanship. It turned out that Gaara wasn't so bad at using the sword. Sparks flew from the dull practice swords as the day ended.
Naruto met Fuu outside of Asa's tent around sunset. She was wearing a long black madraga dress that flowed with the wind. He blushed, gazing at his best friend sitting by herself atop a limestone block. She was perfect in every way compared to him. Fiddling inside his cloak, Naruto grabbed her birthday present. He had found a dark golden scarab pendant from his mother's jewelry box a few days earlier. Inscribed on the back of the pendant were the words, 'Live Free or Die Trying' written on the back, signed by Rasa Sabaku. He fashioned a long leather cord around the pendant loop.
Taking a seat beside him, Fuu smiled and beamed. She took his right hand in her soft left hand. They sat together, holding hands, watching the sunset. Naruto felt his throat grow heavy, butterflies flew around his stomach, and his cheeks felt hotter than before. He badly wanted to say something smart, but his mind went blank. Thankfully, Fuu broke the ice.
"Naruto-Kun, thanks for the company. I might not like the sand and heat, but you gotta admit. This is the best sunset in the whole wide world!"
"Yes," he agreed. Nodding awkwardly, Naruto brought out the necklace. "I know your birthday is almost over, but I made this for you."
Fuu took the necklace in her hands. She brushed her fingers over the scarab pendant with dark blue gold over the wings. The scarab had red amber in place for the eyes. Scarabs were the beetles of the desert, which was fitting for her. She had the seven-tailed beetle sealed inside her. He looked at her nervously, hoping she'd like it.
"Naruto-Kun, where did you get this? You didn't have to go out of your to give me something so splendid," she happily said. Her hands were tremblingly holding the pendant. A few tears fell from her sunburst eyes onto the scarab pendant. "Th-this is the nicest gift anyone has ever given me."
"Happy twelfth birthday, Fuu-chan," he replied happily.
Fuu hugged him and gave him a light peck on his forehead. He rubbed the spot where her lips touched his skin for half a minute. Then, she allowed him to put the necklace around her neck. They both then sat together, watching the sunset. He never wanted this moment in time to end.